1 week ago
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Warner Bros is building a special run of life-size, driveable versions of its six-wheeled Batmobile Tumbler – but you’ll need around $4.5 million to park one in your Batcave.
Order books have opened for the wild-looking two-seat Batmobile through ‘Wayne Enterprises’ – the name of the company in the film series run by Batman (Bruce Wayne’s) father– at a cool $US2.9 million ($AU4.53 million) each.
It makes it a relative bargain compared to the B95 Gotham – a Batman-inspired hypercar made by Pininfarina with Warner Bros priced at a cool $8 million.
It also makes the B95 Gotham look tame.
Described by Batman fandom as a ‘prototype, off-road tank vehicle’ the Tumbler first appeared in the 2005 film Batman Begins.
Initially shown in a camouflage paint scheme, the film shows Bruce Wayne – Batman’s alter-ego, played by Christian Bale – demand it be finished in its stealth black look before it took to the streets of Gotham City.
Blurring the line between fantasy and reality, the exterior of the limited-edition Tumblers – penned by set designer Nathan Crowley along with director Nolan – is as true to wild-looking machine seen on screen.
That includes aggressive Kevlar and carbon-fibre body work with a tubular spaceframe chassis made of aeronautical steel underneath and details including imitation gun turrets and a ‘Smoke Screen Delivery System’.
There’s also a ‘Jet Engine Simulation’ but the Wayne Enterprises online brochure is quick to note it offers ‘no flames’.
Instead, the ten special editions will be powered by a Chevrolet 6.2-litre V8 ‘LS3’ petrol engine – similar to that under the bonnet of the final Holden Commodore SS sold in Australia.
Claimed power is 391kW with 629Nm of torque for the 2500kg-vehicle, the V8 using stainless steel exhaust headers – expected to unleash an imposing engine note if the looks alone aren’t enough to turn heads.
A four-speed paddle shift automatic transmission powers the rear axle where there are four 18-inch wheels wrapped in chunky 44-inch off-road tyres.
Inside, the left-hand drive only Tumbler features two leather upholstered seats with five-point racing harnesses, a ‘digital performance dashboard’ with 10-inch displays and one-way mirrored glass.
Each will take 15 months to build and while anyone can register to buy one, the 10 buyers will be chosen by Warner Bros after an evaluation process.
For mere mortals there’s always the Lego version.
